51Âþ»­

You’ve heard of borrowing books, music and magazines from the library – but how about nappies?

is a volunteer-run cloth (reusable) nappy library servicing the Leicester(shire) area, promoting the use of reusable baby items such as nappies and wipes. 

Thanks to financial support and backing from De Monfort University Leicester (51Âþ»­)’s public engagement team 51Âþ»­ Local and Leicester City Council Ward funding, the library service has significantly expanded so more babies and families could benefit from the service.

The nappy library is a community initiative run by 51Âþ»­ staff and students which offers the hire of trial kits to those interested in trying different kinds of cloth nappies before committing to a purchase of their own and support clients during the hire period and beyond.

51Âþ»­ medical sociologist, new mum, and lead of the nappy library Dr Kylie Baldwin is hoping to spread the word about the library and the benefits of cloth nappies, creating a ‘Covid-secure’ process for parents and carers to use the service after the pandemic meant that face-to-face appointments had to end.

It is estimated that one child can use more than 5,000 nappies between birth and potty training – compared to between 20-25 cloth nappies for the same child.  



Dr Baldwin said: ‘Over three billion nappies are thrown away yearly in the UK alone, accounting for 2-3% of all household waste. By contrast reusable cloth nappies use 20 times less land for production of raw material and require three times less energy to make, can be used across multiple children and then sold on or donated once the user has no need for them. They also come in a variety of styles, can be really easy to use and can save parents money’

The LCNL is currently delivering online demonstrations via Zoom and are continuing to offer kits for hire available via contactless collection.

 To learn more about the nappy library including how to hire a kit or to volunteer visit the library www.leicesternappylibrary.org.uk or email leicesterclothnappylibrary@gmail.com